Fiber cleaner



April 5, 1960 c, YOUNG EIAL FIBER CLEANER Filed Aug. 1a, 1956 INVENTORS RAY C. YOUNG RALPH A. RUSCA ATTORNEY FIBER CLEANER Ray C. Young and Ralph A. Rusca, New Orleans, La., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture Application August 16, 1956, Serial No. 604,576

1 Claim. (Cl. 19-93)- (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) A non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license in the invention herein described, throughout the world for all purposes of the United States Government, with the power to grant sublicenses for such purposes, is hereby granted to the Government of the United States of America.

This invention relates to a cleaner for fibers especially designed for removing trash such as sticks, etc., from ginned cotton, and is an improvement in cleaners of this type in that the cleaning action is more efficient.

For a detailed description of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 represents a sectional view of the cleaner, illustrated partially schematically, showing one embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a section of a detail showing a cleaner; and

Fig. 3 is a section of a detail showing another embodiment of the cleaner.

The cleaner has, in general, many features comparable to those more fully described in patent numbered 2,365,793, in the embodiment of Figs. 1-5, and in patent numbered 2,780,839, filed July 17, 1955.

The invention in the present case pertains particularly to the portion of the cleaner which works the cotton fibers after they pass from the rotatable toothed fiber processing cylinder of Fig. 1, which processing cylinder may compare essentially to cylinder 19 of patent numbered 2,365,793 or the corresponding cylinder of patent numbered 2,780,839. Similar cleaning structures are associated with each of rotatable toothed fiber processing cylinders 11, etc., and only the one associated with cylinder 10 will be described in detail. This cleaning structure is an improvement over that described in patent numbered 2,780,839.

The cotton fibers containing trash are dofied from fiber processing cylinder 10 by a second rotatable fiber processing cylinder 20 mounted adjacent and parallel to cylinder 10 and having forwardly inclined peripheral teeth. The adjacent surfaces of the cylinders 10 and 20 move in the same direction with the surface speed of cylinder 20* greater than that of cylinder 10 so that the cotton fibers are picked from the cylinder 10 onto the teeth of cylinderz20.

A fiber combing cylinder 21 having rearwardly inclined peripheral teeth is mounted adjacent and parallel to cylinder 20 and rotates so that the adjacent surfaces of cylinders 20 and 21 move in the same direction. The surface speed of combing cylinder 21 is, however, slower than that of processing cylinder 20. The relative speeds may vary over a wide range. Speeds of combing cylinder 21 of from /2 to A the speed of processing cylinder 20 have been found satisfactory.

The action of combing cylinder 21 is to impart a pronounced combing, or loosening effect, on the fiber carried by processing cylinder 20.

Some of the fibers cling to the teeth of combing cylinder 21 and means is provided for transferring these fibers back onto the processing cylinder 20. These clinging fibers are removed from combing cylinder 21 by a doffing cylinder- 20 the adjacent surfaces of cylinders 20 and 22 moving in the same direction but the surface speed of the processing cylinder 20 is greater than that of dofiing cylinder 22 so that processing cylinder 20 acts as a doffer in its function relative to cylinder 22. Hence, all of the fibers which are first on processing cylinder 20 are subjected to the combing action of combing cylinder 21, and are in part retained on processing cylinder 20 and in part returned to it from dofling cylinder 22. The surface speed of dofiing cylinder 22 may vary widely so long as it is less than that of processing cylinder 20. Giving dofiing cylinder 22 a surface speed the same as that of combing cylinder 21 is satisfactory.

The loosened fibers containing the trash are carried past grid bars 25 adjacent processing cylinder 20 through which the trash is ejected from the loosened fibers, the trash being deposited in a trash box 26 and removed therefrom by a conveyor screw 27 in a manner comparable to that disclosed in Patent No. 2,780,839.

The cleaning action of the present cleaner is more efiicient than that of patent numbered 2,780,839, due to the combing and loosening of the fibers by combing cylinder 21.

The cleaned fibers are doffed from processing cylinder 20 by a usual type dofiing cylinder 28 and conveyed by air through fiber conveying manifold 29.

The cleaner shown in Fig. 2 is quite similar to that of Fig. 1, parts 30, 40, 41, 45, 46, 47, 48, and 49 of Fig. 2, corresponding in general, respectively, to parts 10, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29 of Fig. 1. However, in the cleaner of Fig. 2 the means for transferring fibers clinging to the combing cylinder back onto the processing cylinder is different. Combing cylinder 41 is mounted adjacent processing cylinder 30. Also the cylinder comparable to dofiing cylinder 22 of Fig. l is omitted. Any fibers clinging to the teeth of combing cylinder 41 are returned in this instance to cylinder 30, which functions as a dofiing cylinder relative to the combing cylinder, and are in turn transferred to processing cylinder 40.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 3 is similar to that of Fig. 1 except that a second cleaning structure is arranged in series with the first to add to the cleaning efiiciency. In this embodiment cylinder 50 compares to processing cylinder 20 of Fig. 1. Processing cylinder 60 is similar, but is mounted to doff the fibers, which may yet retain some trash from processing cylinder 50. To accomplish this end the surface speed of processing cylinder 60 must be somewhat greater than that of processing cylinder 50. Parts 61, 62, 65, 66, 67, 68, and 69 compare structurally and functionally, respectively, to parts 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29 of Fig. 1.

The embodiment of Fig. 3 has the advantage over that of Fig. 1, in addition to its series advantage, of presenting to the grid bars 65 the surface of the layer of cotton fibers being cleaned opposite to the surface presented to the grid bars in the previous cleaning structure. This enhances the cleaning action. The trash in the layer of cotton next to processing cylinder 50 may not be all ejected through its associated grid bars. When this same layer of cotton passes onto processing cylinder 60, the carried over trash is now on the surface of the layer which is remote from the cylinder and is adjacent grid bars 65.

We claim:

A fiber cleaner comprising a rotatable cylinder having peripheral teeth for carrying fibers containing trash, a rotatable fiber processing cylinder having forwardly in- 3 clined peripheral teeth mounted adjacent and parallel to the first mentioned cylinder, the adjacent surfaces of the two cylinders moving in the same direction with the surface speed of the fiber processing cylinder greater than that of the first mentioned cylinder, whereby the fibers containing trash are picked from the first mentioned cylinder onto the teeth of the fiber processing cylinder, a rotatable combing cylinder having rearwardly inclined peripheral teeth mounted adjacent and parallel to the fiber processing cylinder with the adjacent surfaces of the fiber processing and th e combing cylinders moving in the same direction, the surface speed of the combing cylinder being slower than that of the fiber processing cylinder, whereby the fibers containing trash on the processing cylinder are combed and loosened, a dofiing cylinder having forwardly inclined teeth mounted adjacent and parallel to: the fiber processing cylinder and to the combing cylinder, the adjacent surfaces of the dofling cylinder and the combing 10 ing cylinder.

cylinder moving in opposite direction and the adjacent surfaces of the doffing cylinder and fiber processing cylinder moving in the same direction with the surface speed of the fiber processing cylinder greater than that of the dofiing cylinder, whereby fibers clinging to the teeth of the combing cylinder are transferred onto the dofiing cylinder and then back onto the processing cylinder, and grid bars adjacent the fiber processing cylinder through which trash is ejected from the loosened fibers carried by the process- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 2,505,690 Senior et al Apr. 25, 1950 

